Page 34 of Fake Dates and Home Plates
And through all of it, Henley leans into me.
When the check comes, her dad waves off everyone as they try to reach for their wallets. “You crossed the line first today, Harkin. And you,” he says, pointing a finger at me, “not only wore the most ridiculous shirt, but you got me one too, so all of this is on me.”
Henley laughs, for real this time, her smile stretching wide and easy, and it makes the pressure in my chest finally loosen.
We walk out of the restaurant into the warm afternoon air. Everyone slowly starts to split off in waves.
“Not so fast, you two. Lily is going to grab a photo with Henley and her fan club,” Kate says.
The four of us pose for the picture and then tell Lily goodbye as well. Henley hugs her dad, and then her mom squeezes her tightly.
“Thank you for lunch, Mr. Harkin,” I say to Henley’s dad with a handshake.
His grip is firm, but he smiles genuinely. “Kris is fine. Thanks for making my girl happy.”
Fuck. I hope she’ll let me.
Kate hugs Henley tightly. “Ignore the noise, sweetheart. Anyone trying to tear you down from behind a screen isn’t worth your oxygen.”
“I know,” Henley says, her voice quiet.
Her dad ruffles her hair like she’s still ten. “We’re proud of you, always. We’ll see you soon, yeah? Maybe bring Theo over to the house for dinner?”
I grin at the invite.
“Yeah,” she says. “Love you.”
I give them both a wave, and then it’s just me and Henley. I walk her to my Jeep, opening the door for her and then shutting it. When I’m sitting behind the wheel, I look over to find her with her head in her hands. Giving her the time she needs, I start the car but don’t move.
She exhales hard, like she’s been holding her breath for hours.
“You okay?” I ask.
“No,” she admits. “But I will be.”
I reach up and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ll handle it. He’s got to give up eventually. But I did want to talk to you about something.”
She gives me her full attention, and I hate that I’m about to add something negative to a day that should be all about her.
“I reached out to the guy who runsHudson’s Most Wanted. We’ve met a couple of times, and he’s pretty cool. I told him what I’d heard about Dakota’s fraternity game, and he mentioned he’s heard similar rumors.”
Henley listens patiently, seeing where I’m going with this.
“He said he’d try and see what else he could find out. I didn’t mention you at all, so as far as he knows, it’s just me involved.”I want to protect her as much as I can. While she’s at Shoreline, she’s way too close to those dickheads, and I don’t know what they will try to pull.
“Oh,” she says. “I haven’t forgotten about that, but I guess with everything else, I put it on the back burner.”
“Were you still interested in trying to get more information about it?” I ask, content to follow her lead. I’m happy to support her however I can, but it’s also not her responsibility to try and take an entire fraternity down on her own.
She nods. “Yeah, for sure. I thought about reaching out to one of the guys I know in the fraternity, but I was worried about giving us away.”
“Probably a good call,” I tell her as I shift the car into drive so I can get her home.
“I’d ask if you want to come up and hang out, but I think I’m about to sleep until Monday morning. I’m exhausted,” she says with a yawn as we pull up outside her apartment.
I figured she would be and didn’t expect an invitation, but before she can get out of the Jeep, I grab her arm, my fingers circling it gently. “Go out with me.”
Henley’s eyebrows lift in confusion.
